Valerio Martinelli was born and raised in Rome, Italy. He graduated from George Mason University receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Global Affairs. Valerio brings years of experience in federal, state and local governments and higher education institutions having served for over five years as a Legislative Assistant for the law firms of McConnell Valdes, PLLC and Lasa, Monroig & Veve, LLP. Given his experience working closely with universities with a high percentage of Hispanic enrollment, Valerio has extensive knowledge of the challenges Hispanics face in pursuing higher education. Valerio is also a passionate believer in the principles of economic freedom and their potential to increase the prosperity of the Hispanic communities around the country. He is fluent in English, Spanish and Italian.

While much has been said in the media about income inequality, misconceptions abound about the root of the cause of the widening wealth gap between rich and poor. But a recent article by the New York…Read More

As Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month, our nation celebrates the many ways Hispanic Americans contribute to this country through their many accomplishments and rich cultural heritage.…Read More

Those bent on restricting educational options for the neediest students in Colorado are on the defensive these days, as support builds for allowing parents to send their children to the school of thei…Read More

On the final day of the 2017 legislative session, and with bipartisan support, Colorado legislators finally passed a bill to ensure public charter schools students receive equitable funding. The bill…Read More

School choice policies around the nation are enjoying strong momentum and there is no sign on the horizon that this might change anytime soon. If anything, reality might be slowly sinking in for schoo…Read More

Recently, the White House released a preliminary budget proposal that would increase funding for school choice programs in the U.S. Department of Education. While the budget contains several cuts to o…Read More

In December of last year, New Mexico state Representative Christine Trujillo (D- Albuquerque) introduced legislation that would stop the approval of new charter schools in New Mexico for at least two…Read More

As a new president takes office, the administration will face long list of policy challenges. One of the most urgent challenges for millions of Latino families around the country will be to ensure all…Read More

For the second time in a decade, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate last Wednesday by a quarter of a percentage point and it anticipates more increases in 2017 . While this change…Read More

Fidel Castro is dead. Thousands of Cubans, many of whom lived under Castro’s regime, gathered in the streets of Miami to celebrate his death. For them, his passing marked the symbolic end of a reign o…Read More

Throughout this election season, the debate about how to deal with undocumented immigration has been dominated by talk of an enormous 1,989-mile-long border wall between the United States and Mexico.…Read More

In the midst of the economic suffering caused by the Puerto Rican debt crisis, the people of the island are anxiously awaiting the light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately, that light – if it eve…Read More

This week the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its annual snapshot of long-term federal spending and revenues. Unsurprisingly, the CBO’s projections confirm a trend that risks depriving futu…Read More

The Great Recession packed a double whammy for Hispanics. Not only was the Latino community hit harder than most during the housing crash and economic downturn, but they are more likely than whites, b…Read More

Puerto Rico’s only active air ambulance suspended services on the island earlier this month. Unable to continue operations amid the fiscal uncertainty, Puerto Ricans are left without a key service tha…Read More

U.S. Hispanics stand out from other demographic groups is their strong belief in the American Dream – but this faith has been tested lately. The most recent financial crisis and its following economic…Read More

There has been much debate about the causes of the debt crisis that is quickly unfolding in Puerto Rico. The crisis intensified last week, when the Government Development Bank failed to repay more tha…Read More

Each year, millions of Hispanic households face the necessity of coming up with a basic family budget in order to make ends meet. Whether it’s paying for school supplies, utilities, food, or health co…Read More

One of the most frustrating truisms of “business as usual” in Washington D.C. is that when something works ‘too well,’ the government loves to step in and stop it. Sadly, this might be the fate of the…Read More

As tax day approaches (it’s April 18 this year), Hispanics households once again find themselves frustrated by the complexities of the tax code as they finish filing their tax returns. However, this y…Read More

Around the country, millions of hard working Hispanic families must make difficult decisions on their budgets in order to live within their means. Congress should act no differently. Yet Republicans i…Read More

Last week, the U.S. national debt reached a new record high of $19 trillion. Put in perspective, this number represents $59,000 dollars per person living in the U.S. These numbers may sound shockingly…Read More

Last week, The U.S. House of Representatives voted on and passed a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB). The U.S. Senate ga…Read More

If you want to hurt the poor, take away their access to a quality education. If this sounds cruel and morally unacceptable, that’s because it is. However, that is exactly what some politicians in Wash…Read More

The budget agreement, which has been approved by Congress and signed into law by the president, breaks the promise of fiscal responsibility that was made by both parties to the American people. In ord…Read More

The public debate on how to best help the working poor has recently been polarized by pushing the idea that raising the minimum wage is the only solution to fight poverty. Unsurprisingly, this approac…Read More

This month, Nevada's governor signed the nation's first universal school choice program into law. This program will dramatically expand educational choice for all families, including the thousands of…Read More

The fate of greater Education al choice in the sunshine state hangs in the balance as both chambers of the Florida legislatures unexpectedly adjourned early this week over disagreements on Medicaid an…Read More

Many businesses depend on their ability to broaden the customer base, and adapt their brand appeal to the preferences of diverse groups and demographics. This is why a growing number of companies are…Read More

According to a new report from the Southern Education Foundation (SEF), low-income students are now a majority in our nation's public schools – a big change from 1989, when less than 32 percent of the…Read More

This week the White House released the President's Budget proposal for 2016. The President's Budget is an important opportunity to define the priorities for our country and address the challenges that…Read More

During the State of the Union address, President Obama announced a plan to make community college free for students as a tool to expand access to higher Education . Under this plan, states and the fed…Read More

President Obama's almost celebratory claim during the State of the Union that the U.S. high school graduation rate has hit an all-time high was based on accurate numbers, but as pointed out by the Was…Read More

Federal spending caps should encourage action on the ballooning national debt This week Congress is set to work non-stop to pass some type of measure to fund the government and keep it running after D…Read More

( This article was originally published in Spanish in Diario Las Américas ) Future of Hispanic Student Success Hangs on Florida Governor Race A broad attack on one of Florida’s scholarship programs ri…Read More

Innovation in Higher Education set to benefit non-traditional Hispanic students. While reauthorization of the Higher Education Act is unlikely this year, there are signs that both the U.S. House of Re…Read More

Rising debt weighs heavy on Hispanics Hispanics are the fastest-growing and youngest demographic in the Unites States. With a median age of 28, Hispanics are a decade younger than the general U.S. pop…Read More

Despite the president’s insistence that the health care law is operating as it should, the law’s “employer mandate” is causing havoc among community colleges as they struggle to find ways to comply wi…Read More

In another prime example of federal overreach, the U.S. Department of Education is set to flood the higher education sector with a new round of regulations that will likely limit access to higher educ…Read More

Students across the country are borrowing money at record levels in order to finance the ever increasing cost of a college education. Student-loan debt is the only type of household debt that has grow…Read More

Last Friday, the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill to reauthorize and expand a federal program that supports the creation of charter schools around the country. The bill consolidates t…Read More

This week, Secretary Duncan testified before the House Appropriations committee over the U.S. Department of Education’s proposal to increase funding for competitive education grants by 6.9% at the exp…Read More